Rebirth Of A British Legend: The All Carbon Brabham BT62

Those of you passionate about F1 and race cars, in general, are probably familiar with the name Brabham.

The legendary British Formula 1 manufacturer lead by Jack Brabham, that ruled the tracks in the glory days of F1, but went out of business at some point in the ‘90s.

Well, to your delight they’re back in the hands of David Brabham, and they’re here to conquer the world with the mental Brabham BT62 hypercar.

As Brabham is known for their incredible F1 cars, it’s no wonder that the BT62 is a track-only weapon. As such, it’s lightweight, powerful and full of aero goodies. Just like a race car should be.

Carbon Fiber, Wings, And Vents

Looking at the curved carbon-fiber body, laid over the lightweight chassis, you’re bound to find some hints taken from existing hypercars.

For example, when I look at that mean looking front, I see some similarities with the new Ford GT, while the back hints at the insane Lamborghini Veneno with that huge wing and LED lights. But that’s just me, as the looks of the BT62 are completely bespoke.

Image Credit: TopGear.com

A little about Downforce. It is crucial to setting good lap times and going flat out through turns. The Brabham BT62 has plenty of it. More than 1200 kg of downforce is generated thanks to the huge low-slung rear wing, massive diffuser and splitter, complemented by an abundance of other downforce-generating pieces. All carbon-fiber of course.

When there’s not something that generates downforce, there are vents to cool something. The large side vents feed the mid-mounted engine fresh air, while the large, open rear portion of the body pulls out all the generated heat.

The front bumper features vents for cooling the car’s race-spec brakes. I’m sure that the central opening is for the air to escape through the twin hood vents and help generate some part of that 1.2 tons of downforce.

Image Credit: TopGear.com

Technical Terminology

Propelling this 972 kg monster BT62 to warp speed is what the bespoke Brabham designed 5.4 liter V8 does. The 700 hp and 492 lb-ft of torque are sent over to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox, which has something called “full-power upshifts” when you’re chasing the miles. It also auto-blips when you’re downshifting.

Like everything else on the BT62, the brakes are built to withstand the torture at the track. Six piston Brembo badged calipers are placed front and back, hidden behind center lock 18 inch motorsport wheels and are controlled with motorsport traction control and ABS systems.

All of this is useless without good suspension, but the BT62 doesn’t have any issues in this area. Now, prepare for some technical terminology. You’ve been warned.The Brabham BT62 is sitting on double-wishbone A-arms. Damping is handled by the pushrod actuated and fully adjustable Ohlins dampers, while the body roll is controlled by a fully adjustable anti-roll bar. There is also active bump control, which should help reduce any disturbance in the car when it goes over a bump or curb.

Only The Essentials

The interior, or the office as I like to call it, is just like everything else on the BT62. Carbon everywhere and modern technology.

The carbon shelled FIA homologated seat and six-point harness keep you in place, while you turn the quick-release carbon steering wheel. The steering wheel and driver’s seat are fixed regardless of your height; only the pedal box is adjustable to enable maximum comfort and optimal pedal position for a wide variety of drivers.

Important data is shown via a 12 inch digital cluster mounted in the all carbon dashboard.

Image Credit: TopGear.com

Priced at around $1.36m, there has to be some luxuries. There are. Leather door pulls, Alcantara on the dashboard and a fire extinguisher.

Reviving The Brabham Heritage

The Brabham BT62 will be produced in just 70 copies, the reason behind which is the brand’s 70 years of existence. As everything on the car is made to honor the original brand that David’s dad established, the first 35 cars will wear a unique livery that reminds us of Brabham’s first 35 wins.

Based on that, the #01 car is clad in the colors of the BT19, which won the ‘66 French GP. We have yet to see what the remaining 34 cars will look like.

1 of 3

Image Credit: TopGear.com

Image Credit: TopGear.com

Image Credit: TopGear.com

All in all, I’m keen to see how it performs on the track, but I’m a bit disappointed by the way it looks. I expected it to be a bit more aggressive, to match the brutal sound I heard in this teaser video.

Engineering student in progress with a knack for cars, bikes and tech. In my free time I'm an amateur photographer that believes film is not dead and an occasional 2D/3D artist turning my ideas into virtual reality.